Detroit
Detroit is a city located in Wayne County in the state of Michigan, in the Midwest region of the United States. It is the ninth largest city in the country. Located between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, it is the seat of Wayne County. Detroit and its suburbs are the home of the modern American automobile industry, the Big Three: Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Chrysler as well as two national pizza chains. Detroit is also known for its musical heritage as it was the birthplace of Motown and has been highly influential in the origins of punk and techno music. Detroit has several sister cities including Toyota, Japan; Minsk, Belarus; Chongqing, China; Nassau, Bahamas and Kitwe, Zambia. History *1701 - Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac, with his lieutenant Alphonse de Tonty and a company of 100 men, established a trading post on the Detroit River under orders from the French King Louis XIV. They named it Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit at the present site of Detroit, with détroit being the French for strait and Pontchartrain being the name of the Count of Pontchartrain, the Royal Minister of Marine. *1760 - Major Robert Rogers and a group of his Roger's Rangers takes formal command of Fort Detroit in the name of Great Britain after the French defeat in the French and Indian War. *1763 - Chief Pontiac besieges Detroit during Pontiac's Rebellion. *1796 - American control over Detroit established, 13 years after it was assigned by treaty to the United States at the end of the American Revolutionary War. *1805 - On June 11, a fire burns virtually the entire city. *1903 - Ford Motor Company founded by Henry Ford in Detroit. *1950 - Detroit's population reaches it height at 1.6 million. *1962 - Jerome Cavanagh becomes mayor. Inaugurates a series of reforms. *1963 - Great March to Freedom *1967 - On July 23 the 12th Street Riot, one of the worst riots in United States history, begins on 12th Street in the predominantly African American inner city (43 killed, 342 injured and ~1,400 buildings burned). *1968 - "Focus: Hope" project founded. *1974 - Civil rights activist Coleman Young is elected Detroit's first black mayor - a position he holds for 20 years. *1992 - On November 5, black motorist Malice Green was beaten to death by policemen Larry Nevers and Walter Budzyn during a struggle (the officers were later convicted and sentenced to prison). Geography Detroit is located on the north bank of the Detroit River, in southeastern Michigan. It lies north of Windsor, Ontario, leading to the saying in Detroit that Canadians are "our neighbor to the south". Two border crossings exist: the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. A railroad tunnel also connects the two countries. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 370.2 km² (142.9 mi²). 359.4 km² (138.8 mi²) of it is land and 10.8 km² (4.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.92% water. Culture Major parks include Belle Isle, Palmer Park, Rouge Park, Chene Park. Other city recreational facilities include municipal golf courses (William Rogell, Rouge, Belle Isle, Palmer Park), Northwest Activities Center, Detroit Zoo, Belle Isle Zoo, Belle Isle Aquarium. Cultural centers include Detroit Institute of Art, Museum of African American History, Detroit Science Center, Detroit Historical Museum, Motown Historical Museum, Tuskegee Airmen Museum, Historic Fort Wayne, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, and the Belle Isle Conservatory. Detroit is home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Opera House. Folklore Detroit is said to be home to the Nain Rouge, the red dwarf who is said to both attack people and more importantly be a harbinger of doom for the city. Neighborhoods Current and historic neighborhoods in Detroit include: Black Bottom, Corktown, Chaldean Town, Mexicantown, Poletown, Greektown, Indian Village, New Center, Old Redford, Palmer Woods, Rosedale Park, Warrendale, Springwells, and Del Ray. External link: 106 neighborhoods in Detroit Demographics As of the census2 of 2000, there are 951,270 people, 336,428 households, and 218,341 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,646.7/km² (6,855.1/mi²). There are 375,096 housing units at an average density of 1,043.6/km² (2,703.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 12.26% White, 81.55% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.54% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. 4.96% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 336,428 households out of which 33.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.7% are married couples living together, 31.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% are non-families. 29.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.77 and the average family size is 3.45. In the city the population is spread out with 31.1% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.5 males. The median income for a household in the city is $29,526, and the median income for a family is $33,853. Males have a median income of $33,381 versus $26,749 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,717. 26.1% of the population and 21.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 34.5% are under the age of 18 and 18.6% are 65 or older. Major industries/products Motor vehicles, computer software, casino gambling, Taxes In addition to property tax, the city levies income tax of 2.65% on residents, 1.325% on non-residents, and 1.6% on corporations. Law and Government Mayor and nine member city council, elected at-large on nonpartisan ballot. Municipal elections are held every year congruent to 1 modulo 4 (e.g., 1993, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, ...). Current mayor is Kwame Kilpatrick; earlier mayors are listed here. Colleges and Universities *Wayne State University *University of Detroit-Mercy *Marygrove College *Lewis College of Business *College for Creative Studies Sporting Teams *Detroit Red Wings, NHL *Detroit Tigers, MLB *Detroit Lions, NFL *Detroit Shock, WNBA *Detroit Pistons, NBA *Detroit Rockers, Major Indoor Soccer League The Detroit International Marathon course crosses the border into Canada on a bridge and returns to America through a tunnel. On December 13, 2003, the largest crowd in basketball history packed the Lions' home stadium, Ford Field, to watch Michigan State University play the University of Kentucky. Kentucky won 79-74 in front of 78,129 fans. Airports *Detroit City Airport, no current commercial service *Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (located in Romulus, Michigan) Festivals *International Freedom Festival *Detroit Electronic Music Festival *Downtown Hoedown, free country music festival *Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival *Detroit Thunder Fest, hydroplane race External Links *City of Detroit official website